What's Wrong with People?
At my old school in Tampa, I worked with a guy, we'll call him Sam.
Sam was slightly annoying. He would lecture me on my use of profanity when I write and the importance of appearing in modest clothing online.
Sorta like my mom with a penis.
But Sam's heart was in the right place and so I smiled and nodded and encouraged his crazy talk. Not a bad guy.
A few weeks ago, Sam sent out an email to several people asking them to support Barack Obama. Probably not the smartest thing to do from school, but whatever. I once got an email from a fellow teacher telling me why Glenn Beck was the second coming of Christ. I just ignored it.
But a fellow teacher, in his department, got offended and reported it. We'll call her Blanche.
That's right. Instead of going to Sam directly, or his Department Head or Principal, Blanche sent the email along with a formal complaint downtown. Poor Sam had to haul his cookies to Ybor City and meet with the head of Professional Standards to get officially reprimanded.
What's wrong with people? Have we lost the ability to simply hit delete and move on with our day? Are we so sensitive that everything requires action?
I get emails all the time from people who harp about Senator Obama's Muslim background or the power of prayer. I don't get all worked up. I hardly respond.
Of course, I have a life. What's up with Blanche? Does she suffer from unbelievable boredom and frustration? Is Blanche such a miserable and frigid woman that she wants everyone to feel her pain?
I've seen her waddle through the halls with a permanent frown and what my stylist calls a "waxing issue." So perhaps frigid isn't too far off.
Blanche works with Sam and yet had no problem turning him in because he had the audacity to publicly support a candidate for president.
Our world is full of miserable people, folks. The fact that Blanche is also a Republican is not necessarily to blame. But it sure does explain her frigidity.
posted by kate @ 10:20 AM
10 comments
10 Comments:
Oooh! I'm gonna tell! Geez, is Blanche the same lady that busted me out to the teachers for drawing airplanes instead of taking notes?
"We're a nation of whiners" applies here. Phil Gramm was right, but it applied to his own party.
Anyone recall the story from 2004 about the woman who went to work with a John Kerry bumper sticker on her car? She got reprimanded by the boss and then outright fired because A) the company benefited from Err George's rule, B) he wanted his employees to support Err George's re-election and had made a statement as such.
John kerry ended up hiring the woman in question, I don't know anything else from that story or where the woman is now.
People are so endeared to the status-quo that they will not respond to change (no pun intended) well at all. They fight it tooth and nail. Regression is fine as long as the status-quo holds for the most part.
It happens from the other way around too, I can't put together an anecdote off the top of my head but I will not present this as a right-attacking-left thing. It's an intolerance thing all together. That or an insecurity thing, when you're surrounded by something you oppose - you rebel. Blanche was rebelling against the forthcoming Obama landslide and change of the authoritarian status-quo.
I agree Blanche should have had enough balls to have a face to face if she didn't care to get email of the political natural. I'm not keen on getting political email or religious email for that matter and especially from co-workers.
"There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin." —Linus van Pelt in It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
You were going fine until the last paragraph. It kind of puts the whole post in a cheesy light.
Which is fine if you like cheese. No so much if some of us have become lactose intolerant due to the sheer volume of cheese this election cycle.
Jasper is right. You were doing so well up to that point. Both parties have their fair share of professional busybodies and whiners.
And I'm not so sympathetic to Sam. If he has enough time at work to comment on your clothing (fuck him) and send out personal emails, I think he deserves to suffer the wrath of frigid Blanche.
Hmmm, should I comment on a comment that describes a comment as a cheesy comment?
(why is that a pejorative? I like cheese...mmmmm, cheesy)
Poor Sam is a fool. Not only was that email a nuisance to some, but, since it was sent via a school computer and network, it was a (albeit small) misappropriation of district equipment. That's a firing offense in some places and deservedly so. I don't want anyone on other (dark) side being able to use equipment bought with tax money for education to promote their candidates or social agenda.
I won't open personal email on my work computer, and I don't work for the state.
He should chalk this up to a learning experience, although he should have known better.
So, who was Blanche supposed to go to? If she went to Sam, he would take her off his mailing list, but, probably, continue emailing others using school equipment. If she went to the Dept. Head or Principal, again, maybe he just takes her name off the list and continues on. Maybe she felt they wouldn't support her or that their politics coincided with Sam's and the issue would put her job and review at risk. Maybe she did go to them and they told her to send her complaint downtown.
This is about limits and boundaries. You admit that he has some issues in this regard. He should learn and move on. And get his own damn computer.
PS The personal cracks about Blanche are beneath you (and, potentially, libelous). Just saying.
Cape made a good point:
"I don't want anyone on other (dark) side being able to use equipment bought with tax money for education to promote their candidates or social agenda."
I had vented to certain former county commissioners in Hillsborough about their maliciousness. What happened? I got email after email from her people regarding her own personal agenda and ideology. I had the same thing happen (without an opt-out option) from a local congressional campaign that I had supported in 2006 but took a hard-left/ditzy turn and stopped making sense in the mainstream.
I had opted in in the second case. I hadn't in the first and it was a violation. Someone on the county payroll was sending things out that politically helped said commissioner and rallied the base -- which I wasn't a part of.
Sam what were you thinking? You gotta know that Blanche is every-damn-where. You don't change your life for her, but you don't do crap that gives her hand either.
Can't fault Blanche for being Blanche, it's the whole scorpion and the frog thing.
The scorpion and frog thing? I must've missed that one, "Crouching Scorpion, Hidden Frog?" ...
Yeah, people are assbags.
"Scorpion and the Tutle" is the story I heard.
A scorpion asks a Turtle to help it cross the river. The turtle says "Ok, but don't sting me."
So the scorpion gets on the turtles shell and they start crossing the river. They get to the deepest, widest part of the river and the scorpion stings the turtle. The turtle cries out "Why did you do that?! Now we will both drown!"
The scorpion replies "I cannot help it, it's my nature."
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